Open AccessEnergy Efficiency: What Has Research Delivered in the Last 40 Years?
Author(s) -
Harry D. Saunders,
Joyashree Roy,
Inês M.L. Azevedo,
Debalina Chakravarty,
Shyamasree Dasgupta,
Stephane de la Rue du Can,
Angela Druckman,
Roger Fouquet,
Michael Grubb,
Boqiang Lin,
Robert Lowe,
Reinhard Madlener,
Daire McCoy,
Luis Mundaca,
Tadj Oreszczyn,
Steve Sorrell,
Kanako Tanaka,
Taoyuan Wei,
David I. Stern
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
annual review of environment and resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.01
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1545-2050
pISSN - 1543-5938
DOI - 10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-084937
Subject(s) - efficient energy use , warrant , multidisciplinary approach , rebound effect (conservation) , productivity , environmental economics , economics , public economics , welfare , energy (signal processing) , natural resource economics , business , macroeconomics , engineering , political science , market economy , statistics , mathematics , law , financial economics , electrical engineering
This article presents a critical assessment of 40 years of research that may be brought under the umbrella of energy efficiency, spanning different aggregations and domains—from individual producing and consuming agents to economy-wide effects to the role of innovation to the influence of policy. After 40 years of research, energy efficiency initiatives are generally perceived as highly effective. Innovation has contributed to lowering energy technology costs and increasing energy productivity. Energy efficiency programs in many cases have reduced energy use per unit of economic output and have been associated with net improvements in welfare, emission reductions, or both. Rebound effects at the macro level still warrant careful policy attention, as they may be nontrivial. Complexity of energy efficiency dynamics calls for further methodological and empirical advances, multidisciplinary approaches, and granular data at the service level for research in this field to be of greatest societal benefit.